My wife, Sandy, and I won a bid on a 20-acre tract north of Two Harbors. We loaded the kids and dogs and headed north to check out our land. We drove around lost for a few hours. Finally, we located the property.

The kids stayed in the car while I bushwhacked into our possible purchase. We learned there was no access, no lake or river and, of course, no utilities. We decided to let go of the bid and started back to the cities. We stopped along Scenic Hwy. 61, and Sandy picked up one of those free real estate magazines. On the cover was a rustic log cabin built stockade-style, with vague location and on a lake. We called the Realtor and left a message, and struck out on our own to locate the property. We failed at the first attempt, but discovered we had made it to within a mile of the place and were stopped by "no trespassing" signs.

We were headed back to the cities, when the Realtor called back and gave us directions to the cabin. We backtracked to Brimson and found the place and checked it out. We all loved it and planned another trip to meet the Realtor.

We bought the place in 2005. The first thing to do was get the water on. Then came a composting toilet and hot-water heat, new windows, and a new metal roof. We had to finish part of the interior and build a bathroom. The one hidden gem we discovered is what it's like to live on a lake with no public access. We were out on the lake by ourselves this July 4.

Paul Kerr, Mound